Were
any graham crackers harmed in the production of Denver Beer Co. Graham
Cracker Porter? I’m sure I don’t know. This is a canned porter that
isn’t sold in my area, but that I was fortunate enough to sample thanks to
the good graces of our own Dale Roberts. The top of the can admonishes the
drinker to “Enjoy this campfire in a can”, but there is no mention as to
what it’s made with. They also ask you to pair it with “Tents & S’Mores”,
and I think they’re really out to set up that fireside feeling, wouldn’t you
say?

I
love trying new beers from new breweries like Denver Beer (they’re new to me
anyway). It’s a great sign for American craft brewing that try as one might,
it’s nigh impossible to keep up with all the breweries popping up all over
the country. At the very least, it would be a full time job to do so. Having
friends around the country with whom you can trade local beers, though, is
one way to at least take a stab at it.

Denver Beer is rather circumspect about Graham Cracker Porter, only saying
this about the beer on their website:

Like
a campfire in a glass, this robust beauty has seductive notes of vanilla,
smoked cedar, and mulling spices. A dark pour with mild lacing, she is a
rollercoaster of lush chocolate diving into a semi-dry finish of roasted
malt and biscuit.

Denver Beer Co. Graham Cracker Porter has an alcohol content of 5.6% by
volume. It won a Bronze Medal in the Specialty Beer Category at the Great
American Beer Festival in 2011.

Denver Beer Co. Graham Cracker Porter
pours to a dark brownish black color with a thick, tightly packed head of
tiny bubbles and an inviting dark malty nose laced with hints of vanilla.
Taking a sip, I get some chocolate up front with more of the vanilla notes
the nose promised and a slightly smoky, quite roasty overall impression. The
beer becomes subtly phenolic in the finish with good roasty bitterness but
remains smooth and very drinkable.

I
don't really get the graham cracker connection but to be sure, this is very
delicious. More a vanilla porter than a graham cracker one, but you could
imagine the vanilla as marshmallows working with the smoke (from the
campfire in my mind’s palate) and chocolate to get you close to the taste of
a S’More.

Would S’More Porter have been a better name? Maybe. I know I’d drink S’More
if I had any……

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For
reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.